10 Worst Record in NBA History Ranked

Before hitting a high in the NBA, the franchise often goes through terrible seasons to get their path to success. Often, the teams also experience a slump due to injuries of the players. In addition to it, under certain circumstances like management blunders and team failure, the NBA franchises have witnessed the worst record in NBA history. So, we will be exploring the top excruciating period of such teams that went down the hill during their professional appearances in the league.

10 NBA Teams with the Worst Performances

When the NBA teams go under a rebuilding phase, they often experience a down phase in which they might witness a disastrous season in the league. Today, we are going to highlight 10 NBA teams with the worst record in NBA history according to Statmuse:

10. 1982–83 Houston Rockets – 14–68 Record

The Houston Rockets ended their 1982–83 season with a 14–68 record. Allen Leavell, as a guard, tried to elevate his team with his 14.8 points and 6.7 assists per game. However, he did not have any backing from his players on the squad. That’s why the team ended the regular season with a 14–68 record and required a major change. It happened later on when future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson entered the franchise to groom the team as a dominant franchise later on in the league.

9. 1996-97 Vancouver Grizzlies – 14-68 Record

The players were promising from the start for the Vancouver Grizzlies, but the team could not build on the success. The third overall pick from the 1996-97 Shareef Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.2 points per game, while traded player Anthony Peeler tallied 14.5 points per game. Even Bryant Reeves dished out 16.2 points per game. Yet the Grizzlies struggled under Brian Winters and could only win 8 games out of the first 43 games. Brian was fired mid-season, and Stu Jackson took charge of the team. However, it was too late for momentum, and that’s why the Grizzlies ended the season with a 14-68 record.

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8. 2023–24 Detroit Pistons – 14–68 Record

Last season was a nightmare for the Detroit Pistons as the franchise is going through a rebuilding phase. After the resignation of Dwayne Casey in April 2023, Monty Williams got his job as head coach. Williams tried to assemble a strategic squad with players Bojan Bogdanovic and Cade Cunningham. Yet the franchise could not pull off a winning streak and experienced a 28-game losing streak highlighted by the fall of the 2023 season. Their losing streak was tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history.

7. 1993–94 Dallas Mavericks – 13–69 Record

The Dallas Mavericks had picked up Jamal Mashburn as the fourth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. The team even had Jim Jackson. Both Jim and Jamal averaged 19.2 points per game, and they looked promising. Yet, coach Quinn Buckner could not guide the team well because they had a 20-game losing streak, ultimately giving away 23 out of 24 games. They got Tony Campbell mid-season, yet they struggled for the rest of the season. The Mavs ended the season on a good note and won two games to end the regular season with a 13–69 record.

6. 2004–05 Atlanta Hawks – 13–69 Record

The Atlanta Hawks made a lot of changes during the offseason. They got Josh Childress as the sixth pick and Josh Smith as the seventeenth pick. In trades, the Hawks acquired Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Al Harrington, and Predrag Drobnjak. So, the team was in a rebuilding phase under the guidance of new coach Mike Woodson. However, Walker was traded midseason, and Anderson was released. That’s why the team could not pull it together as they started a 2–12 record at the start. By the end of the regular season, the Hawks lost 32 of their games and ended the season with a 13-69 record.

5. 1986-87 Los Angeles Clippers– 12-70 Record

The squad that the Los Angeles Clippers had was not top tier, with third-round players like Dwayne Polee, John Brownlee, Steffond Johnson, Johnny Brown, and Tim Kempton. They ended the season with 12–70 record and just 14.6% winning percentage. So, it was not a disaster on an individual level or for players, rather, it was not a great team, considering the perimeter teams in the league.

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4. 2009-10 New Jersey(Brooklyn) Nets– 12-70 Record

The 2009-10 Brooklyn Nets (New Jersey Nets) had picked up Terence Williams from the draft as the 11th overall pick. However, it did not prove fruitful for them since they started the season with a 0-18 record. Then, they recorded a victory against the Charlotte Bobcats to end their losing streak. Coach Lawrence Frank was relieved of his duties mid-season in November 20009, and then Kiki Vandeweghe got the responsibility of the head coach. The injuries were the major cause of discontent for the Nets team as the team almost played with a minimum of seven players during games. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris both faced injuries during the start of the season. That’s why the Nets ended the season with a 12-70 record.

3. 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks – 11-71 Record

It was full of mishappenings for the Dallas Mavericks since they picked up fourth overall pick, Jim Jackson. But the rookie defied to play for the franchise due to a contract dispute. During that season, the Mavericks went on to record 12 12-game losing streak till January. And then they suffered another losing streak after February for 19 games. Richie Adubato and Gar Heard were appointed as the coaches for the season, yet neither of them could do any good for the team. Eventually, the season for the franchise ended with an 11-71 record.

2. 1997-98 Denver Nuggets – 11-71 Record

The Nuggets made a lot of effort into carefully carving the roster before the 1997-98 season. They got the fifth overall Tony Battie from the draft. In trades, the Denver Nuggets received Eric Williams, Johny Newman, Danny Fortson, Bobby Jackson, and Joe Wolf. But Williams suffered a devastating knee injury, and later on, Bryant Stith’s ankle and foot injuries sidelined him from the season. The Nuggets’ season kicked off with the team losing their first twelve games under new head coach Bill Hanzlik. By the end of the season, the Nuggets finished with the league’s worst record at 11–71.

1. 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers – 9–73 Record

The 1972-73 season of the NBA was a nightmare for the Philadelphia 76ers. It was their only 24th season in the league, but there were no championship-level players on the court. Only Hal Greer was there to support the squad. However, the lack of vision to draft the correct players and the selection of selective quality players resulted in such a season. At that time, they had the worst losing streak of 20 games continuously. After such a disastrous season, the management was self-reflecting on the errors it had made, and they tried to make amends. The Phillies earned the nickname the “Nine and 73-ers” that year for their poor record.

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